1. Field of the Invention The present invention provides an improved optical turret particularly adapted for use in aircraft. The turret includes a common optical element for scanning the tracker and output laser beams. Separate windows are provided adjacent to the common optical element for separately transmitting the tracking and output beams.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Laser systems, such as weapons, typically employ one optical wavelength for tracking a target and a different wavelength for the projected beam. The optical tracking wavelength is generally sufficiently different from the optical wavelength of the projected beam to insure that one does not interfere with the other. The output optics for transmitting/receiving the tracking and projected beams (referred to in the art as tracking/pointing functions) is generally housed in a turret located on the aircraft. The use of a common window material could result in unacceptable losses for either the tracker or the projected beam; for example, with output optics for long IR tracking wavelengths (such as 10.6 microns) together with visible and near-infrared beam wavelengths. In order to reduce the losses, it has been determined that two separate window areas associated with the turret had to be provided to efficiently handle both the tracking/pointer functions.
Although various optical systems could be designed to transmit the tracker and beam wavelengths out through the turret, certain design constraints placed on the turret, particularly in the case of a high speed aircraft, require that the turret be compactly designed and be compatible with supersonic speeds. In essence, what is necessary is to provide a turret having a design such that the configuration and size of the output optics therein minimize aerodynamic and aero-optic impact at supersonic speeds.